Recommended Video Games for Kids

Hey parents! Today I am going to be listing some of my recommended games for kids. There are so many games out there these days and the game rating system is confusing to say the least.

I grew up in a gaming world that is vastly different from the one I know today. I would play Pokemon, Zelda, and Super Mario with my friends and we would all be kids.

These days, it’s hard to find a game your kids can play that won’t have them exposed to many of the realities we know are present in the adult world. My parents would have never let me play a game as a 10-12 year old that had grown men swearing and making inappropriate comments in the same lobby as myself.

As an adult now, I understand that if people want to swear in an online lobby then that is their choice and that’s fine. Although, I completely understand why parents would have a problem with it.

So what is a parent to do if they want to provide their child the awesome experience of gaming while still remaining in a reasonably sheltered setting? Look no further than…

Andrew’s Recommended Video Games for Kids

Pokemon: Sun and Moon

This game marks the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise. A bonus of this one is there is quite a bit of text dialogue so your kids can practice reading while having fun!

Lego Dimensions: Year 2

The Lego game franchise is an amazing one that keeps getting better with age. Its design is simple and fun with little puzzles that will help develop your critical thinking and logic.

Forza Horizon 3

This game is all about driving and looks beautiful. The kids will love driving because they can’t do it yet! This is a perfect game to play with a friend that parents can feel good about.

Yoshi’s Wooly World

Nintendo is constantly trying to take their already successful foundation and put creative spins on it. Yoshi has been around forever as a part of the Super Mario Bros. franchise but now he has a new twist. He’s completely made of yarn! Now I know that sounds weird but the mechanics are solid and it makes for a really cute and entertaining experience.

Golf With Friends

My friends and I have played this for hours. It’s a multi-player putt-putt course that you play together online. You try to finish each hole all at the same time and it can lead to some pretty funny outcomes.

Cities: Skylines

Ever wanted to build you own city? Cities: Skylines lets you do that! This game teaches kids how cities are built and operate. Everything from paving roads to implementing water systems is included in this one.

Minecraft: Story Mode – A Telltale Game Series

Minecraft is one of the most popular games for a while now. No other game really lets the player build literally whatever they want to from the ground up in this way.

Scribblenauts Unlimited

This is an action-puzzle game where you need to think of creative ways to advance through a level. For example, if there is a ledge that is too high to jump up to, the player will have to think of something useful to help them reach that point (a rope, in this instance).

Pajama Sam (personal favorite)

I played this game so much growing up. Pajama Sam is told to find all his missing socks by his mother and so he goes on a grand adventure to find these socks and has a lot of fun along the way.

Putt-Putt Joins the Parade (another personal favorite)

Putt-Putt is a little purple car that has to travel around different areas helping people he meets along the way. This game also helps kids solve puzzles using creativity and logic.

I will be adding more as I find them but many of the games listed above have sequels and almost all deal with creative problem solving that is much more constructive than watching cartoons! (although that is fun to do also)

Where to Buy These Games

All of the games listed above and many more can be found at G2A.com (I am not sponsored by this company, I have just found their prices to be the most affordable over the years)

Please feel free to let me know of any suggestions or questions you have!

6 Comments

That’s a nice site Andrew! I really like the Logo 😉
Back to the topic “Video Games for Kids”.
When i was a kid I played some Games on the C64. Later on the PC486 i played a lot of Games like Settlers, Command & Conquer, … but this is not comparable to the Video Games of today that the kid could play!
Great Games are in your list maybe you can link them to pages with more informations about each one of them?

I see where you’re coming from Andrew. Kids don’t have much real games nowadays, especially considering most of them have PS4s, not Nintendo. Those games you listed are pretty much it for kids these days.

I do think the 3DS deserves a mention though. It and the Wii U (no one has it, but it still has lots of kid friendly games) have many games for both and kids and adults. In any case, great post!

I agree with a lot of your pointers, I think that the best option for a kid who is interested in gaming is pointing them in the direction of mainly single player games, you cannot control the behvior of adults in a multiplayer lobby/server. Good read, thanks for the post!

In my experience, the best games for kids are the “E for everyone” type.
If an adult can play it alongside a child, and both would enjoy it (even if for different reasons) then the game is golden.
I played through all of the games that you recommended here, and all of them are at least somewhat enjoyable to me (didn’t like to golf game all that much, for one thing).

These all seem like good choices. You obviously don’t want your kids playing Mortal Kombat and Gears of War. One game I would recommend is Portal 2. It’s not violent or inappropriate in any way. And I think it’s a great to get them to think. I think games based around puzzles are a great way for kids to get some utility out of their games.